1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an easy messaging service based on a social networking service between group members. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and a system for providing a social network service interlocking with a phone book of a portable terminal, which can provide an exchange between group members registered for each Social Network Service (SNS).
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, with the development of the wireless communication technology, the spread of portable terminals has geometrically increased.
Accordingly, as the spread of the portable terminals is increased, communication service providers have provided diverse services for satisfying diverse desires of subscribers.
Recently, mobile communication service providers have not only provided phone calls freely, without restrictions on space or time, but also diverse services such as wireless Internet services, text message services, and multimedia services. Examples of text message services may include a Short Message Service (SMS) and a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS).
In particular, messaging service is provided in such a manner that origination and destination of messages are prepared by mobile communication terminal users in a mobile communication system, which includes a base station, a mobile switching center, a home location register, and a short message center. Such messaging may be performed between mobile communication terminals or between an information server of service providers providing various kinds of information and a personal mobile communication terminal.
FIGS. 1A to 1D are exemplary diagrams of a menu screen of a friends searching service during the execution of an SNS in a portable terminal according to the related art. Referring to FIG. 1A, a friends list is shown that is stored in a phone book of a portable terminal in which the SNS is to be used, and the friends list of FIG. 1B, which is registered in a specified SNS, are different from each other in most cases, and thus the phone book and the SNS exist as different services. Accordingly, regardless of the many advantages of the messaging service, the friends list stored in the phone book is unable to be applied to the SNS.
In other words, in the case where a user intends to add a friend to a friend list of the user's corresponding SNS, the user connects to a specified SNS in a portable terminal, and directly inputs information of the friend on a corresponding SNS friends addition screen as shown in FIG. 1C or searches for the friend or inputs an address on a corresponding SNS friends search screen as shown in FIG. 1D, which can cause the user inconvenience.
Also, if a site to which a specified person belongs is not known, the user must perform the search by individually logging into the specified SNS to perform an exchange with the specified person.